Alejandro Davidovich Fokina said he contemplated withdrawing from his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final at the French Open after suffering an injury during the tournament.
The Spanish world No.46 was comprehensively beaten 6-4, 6-1, 6-1, by Alexander Zverev on Tuesday at Roland Garros. Fokina struggled throughout the encounter as he won less than half of his service points (41%) and produced 37 unforced errors. It was only the fifth time the 22-year-old had played in a Grand Slam main draw.
Following his defeat, Fokina revealed that he had been battling with a back injury which he picked up during his previous match against Frederico Delbonis. He said the pain was so bad that he even struggled to put his socks on.
“I am disappointed in myself. After I beat Delbonis, I had a very bad back problem and I couldn’t even put on a sock,” Punto de Break quoted Fokina as saying. “Physically, it was pretty bad. I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to jump on the court.’
“I started well, but throughout the game (match) everything weighed on me.’
“It’s been a pretty rough two weeks here. All the games have been very intense with a lot of emotions.”
At the French Open Fokina played back-to-back five-set matches against Botic van de Zandschulp and 15th seed Casper Ruud. Heading into his clash with Zverev he had spent 13 hours and 10 minutes on the court which was almost four hours more than the German.
“I felt a very sharp pain (in my back),” he said.
“This morning (Tuesday) it was drama putting on my socks.’
“Everything I’ve done for days and the strength I have, finishing like this is tough mentally. I know I’m playing very well, but my physique and mentality have failed me. It was broken. I didn’t know if I could give my 100%. I tried. I hit the court and did the best I could. After the first set (against Zverev) I was already KO.”
Fokina is projected to break inside the world’s top 40 next Monday for the first time in his career following his run in Paris. So far this season his best result on the ATP Tour was reaching the semi-finals of the Estoril Open in Portugal. He also reached the last eight of tournaments in Monte Carlo and Montpellier.
The Spaniard has pulled out of the upcoming Cinch Championships in London but is still on course to play at Wimbledon where he won the boys title back in 2017.
